Three biases that make us human
Forget Mars colonization; the real marvel is how our ancient brains grapple with modern billions. Harvey Whitehouse notes that Elon Musk's current $200bn fortune could erect 1,000 Great Pyramids – a thought that instantly triggers our innate biases for scale, legacy, and perhaps, a touch of grandiosity. We might scoff, but deep down, don't we all fantasize about leaving a tangible mark, even if it's just a digital pyramid of likes? This monumental comparison highlights how even with seemingly limitless resources, our core human software, complete with its 'bugs' and 'features,' remains surprisingly analog, fixated on grand statements that resonate with our ancestral drives, just with bigger numbers.
This incredible financial parallel, brought to light in Mind Field News and elaborated upon by Harvey Whitehouse in *Inheritance: The Evolutionary Origins of*, underscores how deeply ingrained our psychological heuristics are. The ability to visualize such immense wealth being converted into structures of ancient significance reveals our susceptibility to biases like the 'anchoring effect' when considering large sums, 'status quo bias' in desiring lasting monuments, and perhaps 'confirmation bias' in seeking evidence that validates our drive for societal impact. Whitehouse's work delves into the evolutionary roots of these very biases, suggesting that our modern financial decisions and aspirations are still profoundly shaped by adaptive mechanisms developed in vastly different socio-economic environments, making us perpetually human in our grandest, and sometimes most irrational, pursuits.
